SET slides to below 1,300 points from worries over gloomy Fed forecast, new Covid cases
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,296.79 today (August 20), down 11.88 points or 0.91 per cent. The volume of total transactions was Bt49.084 billion with an index high of 1,303.72 and a low of 1,292.59.
During the morning session, a stock analyst at Krungsri Securities predicted the index would fall between 1,300 and 1,305 points after the US Federal Reserve predicted economic uncertainty amid the Covid-19 fallout and said it was imperative that a new economic stimulus package is rolled out.
“Apart from this, the index will also come under pressure from the two new domestic Covid-19 cases in Thailand yesterday,” he said.
The top 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were CPALL, PTT, KBANK, AOT, PTTGC, ADVANC, SCC, HANA, SCB and STGT.
As of 4.30pm, the price of crude oil fell by US$0.34 or 0.79 per cent to $42.59 per barrel, while gold fell by $30.70 or 1.56 per cent, to $1,939.60 per ounce.
Other Asian indices were also sliding:
Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 22,880.62, down 229.99 points or 1.00 per cent.
China’s Shanghai SE Composite Index closed at 3,363.90, down 44.23 points or 1.30 per cent, while Shenzhen SE Component Index closed at 13,320.92, down 159.93 points or 1.19 per cent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 24,791.39, down 387.52 points or 1.54 per cent.
South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed at 2,274.22, down 86.32 points or 3.66 per cent.
Taiwan’s TAIEX Index closed at 12,362.64, down 416.00 points or 3.26 per cent.
